First-Time Tony Nominee Sara Chase Found Healing in Schmigadoon!

Sara Chase has stepped center stage in Schmigadoon!, a Golden Age musical send-up which received a whopping 12 Tony nominations. For her performance as Melissa Gimble, a Broadway-obsessed OB-GYN who finds herself trapped in a musical, Chase earned her first Tony nod. Speaking with Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek at the Grand Salon at the Waldorf Astoria Residences New York, Chase reflects on the career milestone that almost didn’t happen.

In 2013, Chase made her Broadway debut in the musical comedy First Date. Since then, she’s appeared on the Netflix series The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and originated the role of Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby on Broadway. “I was Woman No. 1 in First Date: The Musical and I have generally made a career out of being the weird lady to the left—Kimmy Schmidt, First Date and even Gatsby—the weird comedic lady. So this is really different for me,” says Chase, referring to being cast as a romantic lead in Schmigadoon!

As it happens, Schmigadoon! turns out to be the perfect vehicle for Chase in its blend of contemporary comedy and mid-century grandeur. Speaking to this, Chase says, “I think traditionally, in musical theater, there's been the ingénue or the Ado Annie. I'm not either of those, and in modern musical theater, there are more opportunities for personalities like mine to come in. So this was perfect, where it was a modern person getting to be in a Golden Age musical. It's just so fun.”

Not unlike the character she portrays, Chase’s love affair with musical theater runs deep. “My best friend and her mom and my mom, we all took a trip to see two Broadway shows, Cats and Meet Me in St. Louis. In Meet Me in St. Louis there's a little girl, Tootie, in the show. And I was like, 'Oh, that looks fun. I want to be her.' And that's when I got bitten,” recalls Chase. “[There was a] trolley, they ice-skated on stage. I didn't realize that kind of theater magic existed and it just struck my heart like Cupid's arrow.”

Chase has spoken publicly about her medical journey after undergoing treatment for cancer of the fallopian tubes while in The Great Gatsby. Schmigadoon! entered the picture just after she had finished her second round of chemo. “I was still doing Gatsby and I got a call on a Friday [asking] if I could come in to do a reading of Schmigadoon! on a Monday," she shares. "I was just about to get my hair cut like Julie Andrews to make the shedding easier. And I was like, ‘You know what? I think I should hold off just for one more week.’ I went in, I did the reading by day, I did Gatsby at night and then it was the next week where I had to leave Gatsby, so it was such a nice little gift to have right before I had to go away for a little bit.”

The experience of starring in Schmigadoon! on Broadway has proved itself to be healing for Chase. “There's a song in act two where I name the body parts that I not only had removed but [where I] had cancer, and that was at first very difficult. But now it’s healing to face that every night on stage. And as a comedian, I find it funny and poetic,” she reveals. “The first time the spotlight hit me for my song, it reminded me of Gatsby and I kind of had a panic attack—and I've had little moments along the way like that. My castmates were just so wonderful and supportive and I'm really grateful.”

In the aftermath of a life-altering diagnosis, Chase has secured a triumphant return to the stage and a Tony nomination to boot. “Not only am I able to appreciate this moment because I've been in love with musical theater my whole life, but because when it got taken away from me two years ago, I didn't know if I would be able to do it again or participate. I left [Gatsby] and I didn't know if I would come back because the chemo had taken my voice away. That was a really scary time because I love to perform, so the fact that I'm here now, I don't take one second for granted."

GET TO KNOW THE TONY FIRST-TIMERS
Left to Right: MARLA MINDELLE - Titanique | CAISSIE LEVY - Ragtime | CHRISTIANI PITTS - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) | STEPHANIE HSU - The Rocky Horror Show | SARA CHASE - Schmigadoon!

Watch the June 3 episode of The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal, highlighting all five first-time Tony nominees for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, and check out the complete gallery of photos from our exclusive Broadway.com photo shoot below.

The Broadway Show Credits: Directed by Zack R. Smith | Producers: Paul Wontorek and Beth Stevens | Senior Producers: Caitlin Moynihan and Lindsey Sullivan | Videographers: Jessica Arena, Pablo Esteves, Eddie Lebron, Nick Shakra and Ryan Windess | Audio: Drew James | Gaffer: Alicia Esposito
Photo Credits: Photography by Jenny Anderson | Photo Assistants: Laurel Hinton, Lindsey Kelly and Shawn Salley | Location: The Grand Salon at the Waldorf Astoria Residences New York
Hair and Makeup Credits: Morgan Blaul, L. Monique Rance, Rachel Roberts and Angella Valentine
Styling Credits: Styling: Emma Pritchard | Floral Suit: Brooks Brothers | Corset: Princess Polly | Custom Lapel Pin: Dauphines Of New York | Shoes: Badgley Mischka

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